A - The Tapestry consists of 77 panels, each one telling a different story. It has taken 15 years to complete (1981 - 1996). In 1996 we ran out of the specially woven wool cloth and the weavers had since retired so it seemed an appropriate place to stop! However the project continues to inspire others to take the needle and draw the thread and the workshops at Kendal have become very popular with students of all ages wanting to learn the secrets behind the stitches in order to create their own panels, small and large.

 A - Yes we have commissioned new cloth, now made in Wales, for the workshops and for sale in the shop.

 A - It was a chance meeting in 1991 between Anne Wynn-Wilson and Marion Winchester, a member of Kendal Meeting. Anne was looking for a venue to house the Tapestry for permanent exhibition and Kendal Meeting had been looking for a good use for their Meeting House, a Grade II listed building, which was too large for their needs. Kendal is in the heart of what is known to Quakers as '1652 Country', the area in which Quakerism was born. Kendal Friends continue to use the Meeting House for their worship on Sunday morning and Friday afternoon and many of the local Friends can be found stewarding and volunteering their time to help look after the visitors to the exhibition.

 A - On average it takes about two years to embroider a panel. However one of the Scottish panels was completed in 8 months and another panel sewn in Kendal took many years to complete!

 A - Each panel depicts a different story in a different time in social history. The tapestry was never designed to show the whole history of Quakerism over the last 350 years. It just dips into Quaker history every now and then to celebrate the event or life of Friends from that period in time. The small size of the panels allows them to be easily transported and this is how so many people from around the world have been involved with the project.

 A - Everyone was welcome to join the project - men, women and children, especially non-Quaker spouses. The staff and volunteers at the exhibition centre in Kendal come from all religions not just the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).

 A - The crewel technique is designed to dance freely across the surface of the fabric, quite distinct from canvas work which uses wool for stitches that are regulated by the weave of the canvas. Canvas work is sometimes known by the misnomer 'tapestry work'. In a true tapestry the design is woven directly into the warp threads, using the special technique of tapestry weaving. All three methods have been used over the years to make hangings which tell a story. The French word for a worker in these techniques is tapissière. No wonder there is confusion in naming these textiles!